City of Hamilton General Discussion Thread

[Chronamut]

City of Hamilton General Discussion Thread

So after some discussion with one of the mods, SteelTown, it was agreed to make a general discussion thead.

This would be a place to talk about recommendations for the downtown core, like if you see vacant lots, are unhappy about looks of specific parts of the city, have ideas for areas of the city etc. I mean who knows maybe developers will even read some of the ideas and get some of their own!

Or heck if you just want to rant and it's just not appropriate to do so in any specific project thread

Or I dunno.. just talk about yourself hehe.. introduce yourself, talk about projects you're working on that might tie into the city etc.

Some advice from SteelTown though:

"Try not to go over topic, especially if it should be posted on the specific project. We like to keep it in a chronological order, kinda neat to see how a project started and ended. "

For all topics not appropriate for here feel free to also visit and post in the General Discussion sub-forum:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/forumdisplay.php?f=291

[Chronamut]

well.. I guess I'll start..

My name is shawn, I'm 33, I've lived in stoney creek most of my life - now live in the east end - I have computer and architectural background, and I do a lot of research on the history of the city.

I am also an artist, and I have started a pattern of showcasing my artwork in the buildings that are being renovated downtown - the first being a jamaican restaurant on king william, which led to connections at the lister block, which led to connections at the james st general store. From there I branched off into toronto, showcasing my work in various places, notably the nuit events - first nuit rose and then 2 nuit blanche events.

Then I took a year off to unwind, and now I am showcasing my work at the old Buttinskys/grapes & things/capitol theatre, which is being renovated to be the kings and queens gallery lounge.

I am pretty knowledgeable about buildings and their locations in hamilton from the 1800s on, although my knowledge base is of course always growing

you can find out more about me by going to my website in my signature and going to the about section - more links for my stuff there

My vision for hamilton would be a sister city of sorts to toronto - not one to sit in its shadow but one to stand on its own - one with a vision of its own combining old architecture with the new, but keeping that small city vibe that toronto has lost.

My current aim is to see the old Robinsons lot beside the CIBC downtown replaced with something impactful - now that the gore is getting the attention it needs I feel all the "teeth" in hamilton should be filled.

Also there are many buildings downtown with the facades falling off - cornices, dormers, arches etc. It would be nice to see the city take initiative and either pressure the people who own these buildings to fix them, like they do in a heritage city like niagara on the lake, or fix them themselves.

Also maintenance of finishes, cleaning buildings should also be a priority of the city - buildings like the lister block whose outside is already starting to become dirty - just simple city maintenance - heck the city OWNs that building, so no excuse on that one!

Just my 2 cents.

[Chronamut]

can anyone find a pic of this building in the archives? King william st is very elusive when it comes to trying to find old school pics.. I am curious as to what it used to look like in its prime..

I only found.. PART of it.. lol.. I want to see what the old baltimore house looked like..

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Old Chinatown. Cool.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Dr Awesomesauce

Old Chinatown. Cool.

How much of one did we have? I recall vague references to this, but that's about it.

Seems to be more Vietnamese influences downtown now, mostly in the northern half of the core.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

How much of one did we have? I recall vague references to this, but that's about it.

Seems to be more Vietnamese influences downtown now, mostly in the northern half of the core.

not sure.. this area is not well documented in the archives...

also I have never seen this building before...

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

How much of one did we have? I recall vague references to this, but that's about it.

Seems to be more Vietnamese influences downtown now, mostly in the northern half of the core.

I don't think Hamilton ever had much of a Chinatown, really. But what we did have was on King William between Hughson and John and then on John between KW and King. Roughly.

[Chronamut]

Also found these great videos talking about the future of hamilton:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4G0RBryd9M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pybezbl4YJU

[thistleclub]

So are we retiring the General Discussion sub-forum? Merging?

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/forumdisplay.php?f=291

[Berklon]

^ Wow... had no idea they upgraded the seats like that. Looks really comfortable.

Still not enough to get me to pay decent coin to watch a movie at a theatre, especially since the best theatre experience to me is at home... but I can see that drawing regular theatre-goers.

[oldcoote]

Originally Posted by Berklon

^ Wow... had no idea they upgraded the seats like that. Looks really comfortable.

Still not enough to get me to pay decent coin to watch a movie at a theatre, especially since the best theatre experience to me is at home... but I can see that drawing regular theatre-goers.

Why do people think movie tix are expensive? What is it? $12/13 a ticket. For a couple hours entertainment? Steal.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by oldcoote

Why do people think movie tix are expensive? What is it? $12/13 a ticket. For a couple hours entertainment? Steal.

I know one lurking forumer who is old enough to remember when he and his brother used to pay 25 cents each to see the Saturday afternoon "double feature".

Actually, I don't mind the ticket prices, it's the insane prices charged for drinks/snacks (and the jumbo sizing!) that blow me away nowadays.

[Berklon]

Originally Posted by oldcoote

Why do people think movie tix are expensive? What is it? $12/13 a ticket. For a couple hours entertainment? Steal.

If you're willing to wait to watch the movie, it's much cheaper to watch at home. And it's not just about the price, but what you get (or don't get) at that price. I prefer the convenience, comfort, re-watchability, ability to pause/rewind, lack of crowds, lack of distractions, better/cheaper foods, etc. that the home theatre experience offers.

[Chronamut]

chanced upon this gorgeously illuminated and preserved image of james st looking to the escarpment from 1862 - enjoy!



pretty much everything on this street except for the church has long been demolished.

[Chronamut]

quick question: does anyone have a tally of all of the buildings that currently remain vacant or mostly vacant downtown? Might be useful to know where all our prime real estate is..

[davidcappi]

So I have an issue with the fact that hamilton seems hellbent on destroying every single entertainment area of hamilton - what exactly is there to do in the downtown other than eat and drink at this point? (And please don't say play ping pong lol..) What function is making more parks going to do tucked away when gore park is right around the corner?

It just doesn't seem like good foresight by the city.. I want to be able to go downtown and DO stuff - see shows, see bands, engage in mindless entertainment, be entertained.. not just eat and go to bars..

Let's go over what the city has demolished:

movie theatres
opera houses
horse race track
roller rink
ice rink
strip joints
vegas strip
bowling alleys
pool halls

and what have they replaced it with in the downtown core? NOTHING. Employment centers, cash marts, low income housing, the city has intentionally turned intself into a poverty city where nobody has any reason to come to it (except to live in because everywhere else is too expensive). Hamilton used to be called the entertainment city - with 50 theatres, and tons of entertainment. Now everything is in the outlying regions that hamilton absorbed - malls in the suburbs, casinos in neighbouring cities, race tracks in neighbouring cities, zoos in outlying regions, aquariums.. well the only one is in toronto.. no tourist landmark like the cn tower (our highest building is a friggen condo!), just a city without a vision of what it actually wants to be.

Yes breweries are popping up, but not everyone drinks beer - I know I don't. Hamilton claims it's an art place, but I've seen half the stuff in the art crawl, and it's not exactly high quality, more arts and craftsy, and this city is now oversaturated with artists without the high paying art buyer base like places like toronto and new york and chicago has.. It does have theatre aquarius I will grant it that...

boutiques are popping up but they are overpriced - too much money for too little food.

there are clubs but not everyone just wants to go clubbing.

golfing? Sure yes we have golf courses.. at least hamilton is still good for that..

There is ONE movie theatre left in jackson but it's the old seating and for a tall guy like me it's just uncomfortable to sit in those seats..

So what is there to do in the city to entertain the average person? That they can engage in to just unwind? Heck we don't even have a playdium in the downtown core - you have to go up on the escarpment to be entertained - you have an eatons center that is sitting empty , now beside a college campus that has moved into jackson that would make an awesome entertainment center, and it still remains empty. I know there were rumours to fill it with entertainment like that but it never materialized..

This city needs a gold saucer lol..

How do you manage to type to much yet say so little?

You rarely bring any valuable discussion points to this forum. If you're looking for a place to be negative, nostalgic and anti modern anything, head to Vintage Hamilton. There were two existing threads before this one that covered general discussion. I really don't understand what the purpose of this one is.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by Chronamut

City of Hamilton General Discussion Thread

So after some discussion with one of the mods, SteelTown, it was agreed to make a general discussion thead.

This would be a place to talk about recommendations for the downtown core, like if you see vacant lots, are unhappy about looks of specific parts of the city, have ideas for areas of the city etc. I mean who knows maybe developers will even read some of the ideas and get some of their own!

Or heck if you just want to rant and it's just not appropriate to do so in any specific project thread

Or I dunno.. just talk about yourself hehe.. introduce yourself, talk about projects you're working on that might tie into the city etc.

Some advice from SteelTown though:

"Try not to go over topic, especially if it should be posted on the specific project. We like to keep it in a chronological order, kinda neat to see how a project started and ended. "

For all topics not appropriate for here feel free to also visit and post in the General Discussion sub-forum:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/forumdisplay.php?f=291

oh I dunno - maybe what I actually posted here? ^

you don't see me knocking you, not everyone contributes the same way you do. I post threads about the history of the city - and new developments if I find them - it is good to know about the citys past - like my post about the old theatres and their names and locations, what used to be where etc., or my thread with the videos that showcase downtowns history.

And I am not anti-modern anything, in fact there are quite a few threads and projects I have actually PRAISED for their modern look. I am not anti-modern, I am anti-effort. I want to see this city thrive.

[matt602]

The Jackson Square theatre is actually really nice now, miles ahead of what it was like when Famous Players or Empire owned it. They renovated the entire place and did a very professional job of it. It doesn't have all the ridiculous concession choices and frills that you get from Cineplex but if you're just going to see a movie with some popcorn and snacks in a comfortable, spacious seat it's probably now the best theatre in the city. Would be nice if they can somehow expand in the future to allow for an IMAX screen though. Saw Dunkirk in IMAX at Silvercity Ancaster a few weeks ago and it was amazing.

[Chronamut]

Originally Posted by matt602

The Jackson Square theatre is actually really nice now, miles ahead of what it was like when Famous Players or Empire owned it. They renovated the entire place and did a very professional job of it. It doesn't have all the ridiculous concession choices and frills that you get from Cineplex but if you're just going to see a movie with some popcorn and snacks in a comfortable, spacious seat it's probably now the best theatre in the city. Would be nice if they can somehow expand in the future to allow for an IMAX screen though. Saw Dunkirk in IMAX at Silvercity Ancaster a few weeks ago and it was amazing.

yeah I saw the black tower at the avx (I think thats what its called) screen at the paramount theatre up on the mountain yesterday - the one where the screen is huge and curved - really nice.

I will definitely have to check out the jackson theatre now that I know the seats have been replaced - that was really my only beef with it - and it is much more convenient to get to

Do they have 3d at jackson? (or I think they also have 4d at theatres now too) - not that it's essential just curious if they do.

[Beedok]

The fact that Hamilton has a theatre downtown is much better than Ottawa...